Ouluo Xunba [Photo/Internet]

At Tarong Village, a 78-year-old senior villager named Ouluo Xunba, is the fourth inheritor of the white mask Tibetan opera. He started to learn the white mask Tibetan opera at the age of 10 and finished his apprenticeship at 24. Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet, he performed the Tibetan opera in Xiala Mansion for noblemen.

After the peaceful liberation, he has performed for himself for several decades owing to his deep love for Tibetan opera.

In his home, he showed the reporter his white goat mask which has been used for nearly 20 years. The Tibetan Opera Team of Tarong Village has 20 members including Ouluo Xunba. They will perform at various places during annual Shoton Festival and Ongkor Festival. In the beginning, the Tibetan Opera Team organized rehearsals by themselves in the village.

Tibetan Opera [Photo/Internet]

Later on, Nyemo Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television specially provided them a better site in the county for rehearsal. Ouluo Xunba goes to the county for directing the rehearsal every afternoon. He acts as the coach in the team to instruct other members due to his age. Meanwhile, he has 17 apprentices. He hopes that there will be qualified successors of the white mask Tibetan opera.

Now, a young man named Samdrup is trained as a key actor of the Tibetan opera.

Tibetan Opera [Photo/Internet]

Ouluo Xunba has a big family with 10 sons and daughters. A few of his children are working in Lhasa. His youngest song Putsering has inherited his career and taken charge of drum in the Tibetan Opera Team.

He said to us happily that he would be rated as the inheritor of the List of Extended Items of the First List of National Intangible Cultural Heritages this year. At that time, he will be subsidized by the state with RMB 10,000 each year. In addition, he can gain some subsidies from performances at various places during festivals. Therefore, his quality of life will be greatly improved.